Headband connector



y 27, 1948- F. OSTOLAZA ETAL HEAD BAND CONNECTOR Filed Aug. 29, 1946 GLENN E. HOLMES H 7" TOR/vs) FRANK OSTOLAZA Patented July 27, 1948 om- ED STATES PATENT Jo'F FlCE. 2,445,921 HEADBAND CONNECTOR Frank -fistolaz'a, l lorissant, and Glenn E llery Holnies, St. Louis, Mo., assignors to Mexican AmericanHat Company, StJIlouis, Moi, a 'corporation of Missouri Application August 29,1946, Serial No. 653,723 I "Thisinventi'on relates to improvements in head or sweat ,band structures for hats, helmets and thelike, and 'has particular reference -to have andbfiective means affording ready adjustability "foftheband to accommodate various head sizes.

The present inventionr'epresents an improvement upcin;the headband Construction as shown and claimed'in' Patent No. 2,340,980 to Ostolaza and Holmes, issued" FebriiaryjS, 19144.

anovel and particularly efi'ective sweat band connector means Whichris' of a character to facilitate ready and quick connection and disconnection of the free ends of the band, and to afford firm connection of the band ends upon perimetral adjustment of the band to accommodate any given. head size.

w Other objects and advantages of the invention 'will appear readily from the following description of a presently preferredembodiment thereof,fas such isillustrated' by the accompanying drawing, 'wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective, of a hat having therein a head band embodying the present improvement;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the hat looking toward the crown interior, clearly illustrating the present band connector provision;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective of the band at the terminal end-s thereof, showing the band connector structure, the view illustrating the band ends in detached condition;

Fig. 4 is a somewhat enlarged transverse sectional view of the connector strap, as taken along line 4-4 in Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, on-edge view of the band at its terminal ends, showing the connector in assembly connection of the band ends.

Referring to the drawing, Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate a hat or helmet A providing a crown It] and a brim I I. Within the lower crown portion I2 is arranged a head band structure comprising a head or sweat band M formed of suitable flexible material and having opposed terminal ends i5 and I6, and band supports or holders I8. As shown, each of the holders i8 is constructed of a relatively thin sheet of semi-rigid, yet flexible material such as fibre, having an extended longitudinal marginal portion iii through which the holder is secured in hinged relation, to the inner face of the lower crown portion l2, such being efiected by suitable stitching or according to present merereme yeyeet rivets or thefiik "dicated atflii. "The body '22 ofeach'holder 'vided withspaced slots? and through thes v i thread d e head d hei 9er1 s 'displaceble her th bt toi perms 11. .a i stm her i o a ap at if t 1.

to a given head size. Exceptfifor' the .provision affording connection of the terminalljends of the head band, which 1 constitutes "the Subject of "the present invention as will appear presently, "t ch ra Q eadb nd su ertfi j e y ib fi 1 .9 1 1 i qi e as 9r t'F 9t fi J vantages thereof in the hereinbefore ate Ne 2135 0980 .Tu i a 'w't th gr e s ee e e io ifa et hsreedy w en tenancies 'ne'ct'ionoffth as forflthe metral anais lapped overt relatively tm'nstr p semi-rigid bendable material, having a length substantially .coextensive with the free length of the tape. The tape 26 and element are secured 30 together in any desired manner, as by an adhesive indicated at 29 in Fig. 4, or :by staples or other means, such that the element is substantially covered by or sheathed in the tape. By present preference, the material of strip 30 is a suitable soft metal characterized by ready bendability and yet by sufficient rigidity to hold the bent shape thereof obtaining in effective connection of the head band ends as will appear, against the tensional stressing of the band upon application and use of the hat on the head of the wearer.

Ihe opposed end I6 of the head band presents an opening 31 therethrough, here provided by an eyelet 32 attached to the band end, through which is passed the connection device 24 in the connection of the band ends. Although not herein illustrated, the end [6 of the band may be otherwise adapted for receiving the member 24 in band connection, as for example, by forming the band end l6 as a loop or securing thereto a separate loop element.

Upon perimetral adjustment of the head band. as by displacement of the hand through the slots of the holders l8 to expand or contract the effective size of the band, the device 24 is inserted 5 and passed through the eyelet 32, and thence bent rearwardly or substantially upon itself, thereby coupling or connecting the band ends I5 and IS in the adjusted position of the band. In effecting the connection, it is to be observed that the device 24 is applied to the band end i6 such that the reversely bent end portion 34 thereof lies on the side of the band opposite to the side or surface' 35 thereof which in hat'use, engages the head of the wearer, whereby the bent end 34 of the connector is thus eifectively shielded from contact with the wearers head. To the same end, the tape end 2! is secured upon the outer side of the band at its end I5 as such appears in the drawing. i

Whenever it may be desired to readjust the perimetral extent of the head band, as to accommodate a smaller or larger head size, disconnection of the band ends is readily and quickly attained merely by bending the connector portion 34 forwardly and thence removing the connector through the eyelet 32. The band is then free for perimetral adjustment, and when such is made, reconnection of the band ends is'effected in the manner hereinabove described.

Having now described the invention in respect to theillustrated presently preferred embodiment thereof, what we desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In" ahat, a flexible head band having free ends, means mounting .the band in the hat and permitting perimetral adjustment of the band for adaptation thereof to a given head size, one free end of the band being provided with an opening therethrough, a tape of flexible material having one end secured to the other free end of said band, i and a strip element of. a semi-rigid, bendable metallic material arranged along and secured to said tape,.said tape and strip element in any perimetral adjustment of the band, being in- :sertiblethrough said, opening and serving upon bending of the strip element substantially upon itself, to connect the ends of the head band.

. .2, In a hat, a head band having terminal ends,

and a device for releasably connecting the terminal ends of the head band with the band ends relatively spaced .to any selected extent within a given range, comprising a flexible tape element, means securing one end of the tape element to one terminal end of the band, a strip element of a semi-rigid material characterized by ready bendability, arranged along said tape element and carried thereby, and a single eyelet in the other ofsaid band terminal ends for receiving therethrough said tape carried strip element, said tape and strip elements upon bending of the latter element reversely toward said one terminal end of the band, serving releasably to connect the terminal ends of the band.

3. In a hat, a head band having terminal ends, and a device for releasably connecting the terminal ends of the head band with the band ends relatively spaced to any selected extent within a given range, comprising a flexible tape element, means securing one end of the tape element to one terminal end of the band, a metallic strip element arranged along and carried by said tape element, said metallic strip element being characterized by ready bendability and sufficient rigidity to retain the effected shape thereof in connection of the band ends, under stressing of the head band in normal use, and a single eyelet in the other of said band terminal ends for receiving therethrough the tape carried strip element, said tape and strip elements upon bending of the latter element reversely toward said one terminal end of the band, serving releasably to connect the terminal ends of the band.

FRANK OSTOLAZA. GLENN ELLERYHOLIWES.

REFERENCES CITED The following referencesare' of record in the file of this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS Ostolaza et al Feb. 8, 1944 

